Asgardian Nights
by Deirdre Acaena
Summary: The story of Loki from the end of Thor the Dark World up to Ragnarok, as seen through Odin's eyes. Redemption might be within his reach, but it doesn't mean Loki is willing to reach out for it.
1. 1 Of Kings and Fools

"Loki… " Even as he's sagging against his throne, Odin straightens up again.

And what of Thor?

Thor is still fighting, my liege.

Go to Heimdall and bring back tidings of the battle.

The guard hesitates for maybe half a second, but the tone brooks no argument, and he soon exits. With no more witness, the Allfather gives in to his old bones's protests and slumps in the royal seat; but he dares not close his eyes, even for a second: any moment of rest, no matter how restless it would actually be, could see him fall into the Odinsleep.

If the world was ending, he would face the Norns with his chin held high, like Frigga, like Thor, like… Loki? He shouldn't have sent this guard away, he didn't even know how his s-... how he died.

Oding jerks upright, sleep now blissfully elusive as the vexing thoughts nag at him. Trying to further stave off slumber, he starts to pace, as unseemly as it is.

How had Loki died? Had he tried to kill Thor, or had he helped the Thunderer up to the ultimate sacrifice? Had his son maybe returned to him, even has he left this life?

"Thor has won!" Odin startles, his thoughts having insidiously drifted off again, but the guard, the same as before, is too excited -or polite- to notice. "The convergence is ending, and the Prince is recuperating on Midgard. Heimdall has promised to send for him if he doesn't come back by noon tomorrow."

Crushing relief saps all his remaining strength, and if it weren't for the guard, he'd've fallen. "I thought I could… I could wait… But… My chambers..."

The journey seems unusually short and soon the heavy door creaks open. The incongruous sound penetrates his stupor and with it, the realization that he's been slipping too far, too fast, paradoxically and momentarily stoking his awareness. He makes it to the bed mostly under his own power as the door closes with a whine. Once sat, he presents Gungnir to the guard.

Swear to give this Thor upon his return.

No, my l-liege, I can't…

SWEAR!

The guard swallows, takes the spear, and, belatedly, kneels: "I swear, on my father's place in Valhalla."

Odin nods and finally, finally lays down, letting the magical barrier of the Odinsleep swaddle him, as his unexpected minder stays nearby on the ground.

Much later, a knock on the door wakes the guard and pulls at his own consciousness. Odin feels a glamour envelop the other man, the bed, and himself. His own voice booms nearby "Enter!", then the door squeaks open

My liege, Thor has come back and is asking to speak with you.

Direct him to the throne room.

Yes, my liege.

The door whines and raspes, then silence envelops the king, now alone. His only thoughts, as the trance claims him, are "that hinge needs oiling" and "Loki…"

Odin can hear and perceive many a thing in the Odinsleep, and yet, only the most grievous can penetrate the oblivion, and thus put him on the path to a hastened awakening. Thor's almost-death at the Destroyer's hands had been one, and now, Loki usurping the throne is another.

Or so he would have thought, in this peculiar, ponderous musing of the Odinsleep. True, his emotions run high, but so high and fast and far away, they are only distant concerns, as distant as his body, just out of reach, but not out of mind, anchoring yet confining him to the realm of the living.

The door finally scritches once more and here stands Loki, confidently holding Gungnir.

"You know, I tried, I really did. But the oaf didn't want the throne, he was only interested in going back to his mortal tryst."

Odin can hear the grin slowly forming around the next words: "At first I only wanted to be done with all of this, with this place and with you. But then I realized: this is my chance!"

The tentative grin blooms into a manic one over the too-taut features and arms outstretch as if to encompass the universe: "The throne is mine, all mine! I will make them see the errors of their ways to them all, Sif, the Warrior Three, even Heimdall. Oh yes, they will grovel and kneel before the true king of Asgard!"

The last few words reverberates in a stunned silence.

Loki bows his head, now looking at the spear in his hands as if it is a coiling snake ready to strike. The spear butts against the floor abruptly, upright once more, as Loki levels a poisonous stare at the king.

"Did you, Allfather? Did you ever concede to not being perfect? You must have, or she'd never have considered you a true king."

The former prince starts pacing, Gungnir's clanking rhythmically like a metal heart.

"Oh, she must have considered Thor a true king as well; after all, he was _so_ changed and remorseful after his little Midgardian traipsing. Even now, he spouts nonsense about good men and great kings! *sniggers* But me, oh no! I let myself fall into the Void, devastated as I was by the magnitude of my failure to please _you_ , but no, that's not enough. I was never enough for anyone, not even for her!"

His loud anger shatters on raw anguish, like waves on a rock.

"But that's not true, is it? I was her beloved son to the end, never an irredeemable monster. And how did I thank her for that? I only spat her love back in her face! I even directed her assassin to her!"

Beseechingly, Loki entreats Odin to see the true target of his wrath. The Allfather knows too well that his erstwhile sone only needs a mirror for this. "Oh, I didn't meant to, of course not, I only meant to send that monster to _you_. Oh, I wanted you dead, I wanted you suffering, I wanted…"

With a sharp bark of mirthless laughter, Loki realizes. "I now have everything I once asked for, don't I? Even a throne, and you at my mercy, with Thor in voluntary exile on Midgard. And I would trade all of it, even my freedom, for one more minute with her. To tell her she IS my mother, always was, always will be, even now, when - "

The wistful rambling escalates into bitter yelling, as Loki tries to once more drown out his distress. "I would even accept one minute to properly mourn at her funeral, but you couldn't even give me that. Even Thor, boorish as he is, let me express my grief, and you, you couldn't even give me that! You couldn't, you couldn't..."

Loki looks wrung out as he sits on the edge of the bed and once again whispers.

"No, you couldn't, could you? I was just a prisoner, no, worse, a stranger, who had irrevocably lost the right to call her Mother. I guess… you were right. I can admit that much. And… more."

Loki takes a couple of deep breaths, his voice now calm, level, and firm, as he locks all emotions away and picks up the frayed thread of his thoughts.

"When she came to see me in my cell, Lady Frigga told me that a true king admits his faults. I will honour this wisdom, as well as her sacrifice, by doing what she did to her last, protect Asgard."

Loki straightens up, leaving Gungnir next to the dormant king. "Speaking of which, I have traitors to deal with." The sad curve of his lips is belied by the minuscule glint of mischief in his gaze. "Oh yes, they will still grovel at my feet, and they will admit their trespasses against me, and I will have both my just revenge and this new oath satisfied. Maybe There is still something for me here…"

A new spell descends on the Allfather; then, with a squeal and a bang of the door, Odin is alone again, his thoughts a dizzying maëlstrom.


	2. 2 Best served Cold

Odin's hand is grazing the shaft of Gungnir, expanding his awareness of what happens in the Realm Eternal. He briefly wonders if that is why Loki left it, or some sense of duty? To Frigga and to Asgard?

But puzzling through his prodigal son's reasons will have to wait, as he focuses his attention on the prince parading as the Allfather. In his mind's eye, he sees him regally slouching in the throne, seemingly lost in ruminations.

After a long moment, a guard walks in: "My liege, Lord Hogun has returned from Vanaheim, as you requested, and will arrive at the palace shortly. The Lady Sif and the Lords Volstagg and Fandral are already waiting in the antechamber."

"As soon as all of them are ready, have them approach the throne."

The guard briefly bows in acquiescence and hurries to fetch the four nobles. Another moment passes, but Loki's ruminations have a focused edge to them now.

Eventually, the Warriors Three kneel in a loose half-circle, with Sif to their right. Loki surveys them a moment, as their disquiet simmers. When he finally rises up to loom over them, he coldly asked.

"Do you know why I have summoned you here today?"

After a brief exchange of glances, Sif, brazen and headstrong Sif, inhales sharply and meekly queries:

For our mutiny and our helping Thor getting the Aether out of Asgard.

Indeed, b-

My liege! I beg of you, do not chasten Hogun for our disgraceful conduct. He wasn't even on Asgard!

Maybe not this time, but this isn't exactly the first time that you, all of you, have defied your oaths to the throne, is it?

Another silent exchange of gazes later, and Sif starts anew:

My liege, if you mean our going to Thor during his exile, Loki was ab-

Prince Loki was the rightful regent at the time.

My liege! Cert-

Gungnir (or what looks like it) ominously clanks against the floor, silencing the young woman… for all of a few seconds.

She's already opening her mouth to defend her actions, but is stopped by Hogun's hand on her forearm. As she glances at him mutinously, Volstagg, on the other side of the Vanir, is shaking his head, while Fandral's hand is slashing the air in a shortened abortive gesture. She wavers, but abruptly concedes when a second, louder clanking calls everyone's attention to the king (or his current stand-in).

"As I was saying, this was not even your first offense. None of you even tried to stop Thor from going to Jotunheim, or, once there, to keep the discussion from escalating. Only Prince Loki did.

He egged Thor into going in the first place!

Would this be true, Thor eventually made the decision all on his own.

My liege, I-

Sif, do you really wish to keep interrupting and disrespecting me, even as you stand accused of treason? Are you that similar to Loki?"

That finally shuts her up, her mouth pressed into a fine, whitened line of anger.

"You've broken, or at least circumvented, your oaths to the Throne of Asgard by going to Jotunheim and starting a war, by going to Thor on Midgard and provoking Loki into a battle, and by leading Thor and Loki out of Asgard with the Lady Jane Foster. Thus, are you ready to admit your faults and suffer the consequences thereof?"

Hogun, as he so rarely does, takes the initiative and speaks up: "My liege, we may not have followed the letter of our oaths, but we only ever acted for the greater good of the Realms.

Be as it may, you couldn't know this at the time; you all acted impulsively and against your orders. Today, I intend to protect this realms and its future king for any subsequent sedition."

Fandral counters quickly, after a swift look at a still tight-mouthed Sif. "My liege, we may not have upheld our oaths to the throne as we should have, but only because of our loyalty to Thor. One day, when those are one and the same...

And that is the issue isn't it? As your most recent trespassing proves, even the king of Asgard can falter. Will you be enough of a true friend to oppose him then?

The four gazes fixed on him shift from puzzlement to shame, even as they lower back down to the ground.

"In your defence, not so long ago, Thor did not countenance any dissent. However, by accepting his banishment as a warranted punishment, he has grown. Thus, I repeat my question: are you ready to admit your faults and suffer the consequences thereof?"

Four meek nods are his answer.

"Going away has done good to my son, and I hope it will be the same to you.

Sif's head shots up: "Are you banishing us my liege?

Hardly, Sif. I simply have missions for all of you. And if this time away gives you the opportunity to reflect on your past conduct, well, that is _just_ a side effect of your _duty_ to Asgard's throne.

Four heads bob in mute agreement, even as their eyes glazed over, already lost in contemplation.

"Then we are in agreement.

Sif, Volstagg, I want you two to take the Aether to Knowhere, to a person named Taneleer Tivan, also known as the Collector. Volstagg, you will then stay close, to keep an eye on that quadrant in general and on the Collector in particular. Given his proclivities, he will undoubtedly look for similar stone artefacts. Report to me immediately if you hear of one.

The same goes for the three of you. Any mention of powerful artifacts should be brought back to me, and then investigated in full. Sif, you will move on from Knowhere into the Kree Empire. Hogun, go to the Chitauri Quadrant. Fandral, you will watch over the M'Kraan Empire.

This is a dangerous mission: please say your good-byes to your families tonight and depart at dawn."


	3. 3 Heavy is the head

The door to Odin's chambers barely clicks close that Loki manically throws his glamour off.

"Oh, this was GLORIOUS! If only they knew it was ME shaming them into obedience! Oh, but they will, yes, some day they will all know ! Even Thor realised it in the end!"

Loki jars still for a second and gasps: "I must hold a wake! After all, I "died" a heroic death, saving Thor with my last breath!"

He resumes his agitated pacing.

"Should Thor be…? No, no point… Yes, his friends and Heimdall will have to do. But... a small funeral is hardly worthy of my grandeur, but then again…"

Loki grimaces, his exhilaration gone up in wisps of exasperation, and stalks out; at least, his disposition now properly gloomy.

The modest funeral is celebrated that very evening. The Warrior Three and Sif seem in better spirits than this afternoon, though they won't meet the "king"'s eyes.

"Odin" takes into on account of the palace's ruination and Thor's friends' early departure on the next day, and cuts the ensuing feast short.

When Loki shuffles wearily into the chambers, his adopted father also realizes that his son would not have had any rest since before Malekith's attack on the Realm Eternal. His thirst for revenge might have sustain him until now, but no one can outrun exhaustion.

Two servants soon follow the prince in, carrying a lounge in. The prince dismiss them with a small hand gesture and murmured thanks, his posture straight until the doors clicks close. Then he simply folds onto the reclining chair.

"Hope you won't mind the company, but setting up a whole new room would have raised too many questions, more than just a new bed." A small, tired laugh nervously bubbles up, as fatigue strips him of his usual masks. "I insinuated that Lady Frigga's memory was making me abhor my normal bed… I hope this is enough to ward off suspicions…"

His words trail off into slow and shallow breaths, as peaceful sleep claims him almost as soon as his skull lays on the bedrest.

Loki's explanation does ring true, yet can't quite explain why the prince can't keep away from the royal chambers. Like the kid he was, still is by Asgardian standards, he dreads solitude and craves consideration; even now, even from a father-figure he loathes, he can't give up any opportunity for undivided attention.

Maybe if he could have been content with the recognition he was getting, Loki would never have been in a position to be thrown in a gaol… Not that he ever got that much acclaim, Odin must admit (would Frigga consider this a step in the right direction?) and certainly not from the persons Loki looked up to the most (which, yes, included Odin himself).

When Loki had been brought from Midgard in chains, the Allfather had hastily and harshly condemned him. He thought it was mainly because of the enormity of the crimes, and also as a better alternative to the summary execution some were asking for.

But Frigga's words had merits, as even Loki (Loki!) had found: a true king admits his faults. Odin, first and foremost, had been ashamed. Not so much of his son, but of his own failures as a father. Thor had to be banished to receive a most needed lesson and Loki…

Odin's musing are cut short, as is Loki's rest. A strong knock on the door soon has the prince up and in usual guise, entreating "Enter!".

"My liege, Lorelei has escaped! She took advantage of Prince Loki's funeral to seduce her one guard and leave the palace.

\- Her necklace should have…

\- My liege, it was apparently damaged during the attack, and she waited until last night to make use of that.

\- Where is she?

\- She… well, Heimdall is watching over the Bifrost, but we think… she may have been using one of Lo- Prince Loki's alternative passage.

The prince closes his eyes before his face smoothes out into blankness; as always, he's making a show of his non-emoting, mistaking it for a show of strength.

\- Go get the Lords Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg, as well as the Lady Sif, tell them of Lorelei's escape and have them meet me at the Bifrost. Have a guard… no, ask Sif to first check on Amora's necklace.

Loki follows suit, exiting the room without a backward glance.

Some time later, the Warrior Three, Sif, and Heimdall all stand before "Odin" in the Bifrost chamber.

"I apologize for the shortened night, but you will have to leave now. In addition to keeping an eye and an ear out for any whisper about Loki's allies or ancient artefact, I also want you to keep alert for any whisper about Lorelei. If any of you men do hear something, have Heimdall contact Sif so she can go after the criminal. Do you have any questions?"

The four youngsters murmur and shake their heads and soon Heimdall opens the Bifrost, sending each of them to separate corners of the universe. As soon as the Bifrost closes on the last of them, Heimdall turns to the "Allfather":

"Do you have a specific task for me, my liege?"

Loki had already unsteadily swivels away, but closes his eyes, steeling himself for just a second, before turning back to the golden-clad guardian.


End file.
